He is the Eagles third coach in four seasons, taking over for Lee Arthur, who resigned in late April for personal reasons with a 6-12 record in two seasons.

“One of our major goals was to find someone that wanted to build a program here,” Barkey said. “We wanted to find a partner, to get someone that wanted us as much as we wanted them.”

Brock quickly showed his thinking was in line with Barkey’s during his first interview.

“My first question was, is this somewhere were I can stick my flag?” Brock said. “I wanted to find the best coaching opportunity I could at the high school level, and go somewhere were I could grow a program into something special.”

Last year, Brock was a defensive backs coach for a Eastern Illinois University team that went 12-2, making the Division I FCS quarterfinals.

The Detroit-native enjoyed the experience, learning a lot from head coach Dino Barbers, but decided his passion was coaching at the high school level.

“When Dino was hired at Bowling Green, I had a great opportunity to go coach at Robert Morris, but turned it down,” Brock said. “It just didn’t feel right. I loved coaching college, and think I improved a lot, but I’ve had a grass roots mentality my whole life. What makes me tick is high school football.”

The Detroit native’s prep experience includes stints as the head coach at Saint Clare Shores South Lake in 2012, defensive coordinator at Oak Park and defensive coordinator at Madison High School

Barkey said Brock’s previous colleagues all called him an “integral part” of their team’s success.

“We know it was an off time of year for a football hire, but we had a strong pool of candidates,” Barkey said. “We interviewed 10 candidates, did our due diligence and after everyone we talked to believe we are bringing in someone who will make this football team better.”

Brock will meet with players for the first time Thursday afternoon to give them an idea of what they can expect in the fall.

“We want to be strong, fast and physical with physical being a prominent part of that equation, and that’s not just on defense,” Brock said. “We want to be known as a team that flies around the ball, and plays with great intensity.”

Brock, a graduate of Marygrove College, is also one of the co-founders of the Sound Mind Sound Body Football Academy & Maximum Exposure Showcase. He was the organization’s director of player recruitment, a role he recently resumed after deciding not to return to the college coaching ranks, during its formative years.

“Sound Mind Sound Body has grown to crazy levels,” Brock said. “I joined during its formative years, and really helped building relationships with players and coaches, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do here at Skyline.”